


Shelter from the Storm

by vix_spes



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Office, Astraphobia, Fluff, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-10 18:32:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12917757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vix_spes/pseuds/vix_spes
Summary: Merlin has managed to hide his astraphobia from his colleagues but with the incoming bad weather front, he's not going to be able to do that for much longer.





	Shelter from the Storm

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Aeris444](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aeris444/gifts).



Merlin winced as the weatherman reached the local part of the forecast for the next few days and proceeded to predict several days of bad weather including thunderstorms. This was going to be bad. It wasn’t the terrible weather that bothered him; Merlin had grown up in Wales where rain was de rigeur and he could remember plenty of summers where it had felt like he lived in his cagoule and wellies. No, it was the prospect of thunderstorms that had Merlin dreading the days to come.

He hated thunderstorms with a passion. Always had. It wasn’t just that he hated them, Merlin was terrified and had been ever since he was a little boy. It was just one of those phobias that he had never quite managed to eradicate. Some people were terrified of spiders, others of small spaces while clowns freaked out some people. For Merlin, it was thunderstorms. He knew and understood the science behind them, knew that his fear was completely irrational and, yet his phobia lingered. He had tried hypnotherapy and a whole host of things in an attempt to deal with it, but nothing had worked; Merlin was stuck with his astraphobia.

He wouldn’t go quite so far to say that his fear was affecting his life; he didn’t organise everything based around the weather but, if he knew that a storm was incoming, then he would try and ensure that he was at home so that he could seek sanctuary under his bed, completely cocooned in his duvet. Unfortunately, Merlin had the feeling that these particular upcoming storms were having an impact on his life. For a start, they were due to occur on a weekday and, given the huge case that chambers was working on at the moment, hiding under his duvet simply wasn’t an option. The other problem was that Merlin was having to work – temporarily – with Arthur Pendragon.

The law chambers that Merlin worked for – Cameliard and Pendragon – dealt with both defence and prosecution cases. Defence was overseen by Leon Cameliard while Arthur Pendragon commanded the prosecution team, just as their grandfathers had when they established the chambers over fifty years ago. Leon was usually Merlin’s boss but, having taken paternity leave for several months, and with a huge prosecution case coming in, Leon had recommended that Merlin be temporarily seconded to Arthur’s team as he was the best researched and law clerk that Leon had and precisely what Arthur needed to help with his case.

It wasn’t all bad.

Don’t get Merlin wrong, it was far from being all completely awful. Whilst prosecution wasn’t what Merlin wanted to go into when he finished his degree, it was still interesting to see that side of chambers and get some experience there. Plus, the two associate lawyers who worked there – Gwaine Lothian and Percival Knights – were genuinely lovely and Merlin liked working with them both. Percival was reminiscent of a teddy bear; larger than life and looking more as though he belonged on a rugby pitch than representing someone in court, but he was quiet, calm and genuinely the sweetest guy that Merlin had ever met. Gwaine was the complete opposite; loud and boisterous, he was known for being a flirt amongst the inns of court and more than a few law clerks – and lawyers – had ended up with broken hearts after falling for his patter and then into his bed. He was charming, and he knew it and, while Merlin hadn’t fallen into the Irishman’s bed, he couldn’t deny that he found him attractive. He also quite liked the fact that Gwaine called him ‘little wizard’, apparently because of Merlin’s ability to find any information they needed, however difficult to locate.

No, the downside lay in the rest of the prosecution team. Merlin didn’t like or trust any of them. He was certain that the assistant – Lamia – was only there in order to try and find herself a rich husband who would keep her in designer shoes and handbags, not to mention the kind of life that she felt she deserved. As for the two law clerks on Arthur’s team. Well, it was safe to say that Merlin wasn’t remotely impressed with either of them. Indeed, he’d spent more than a couple of coffee meetings bitching about them to Freya, his fellow clerk on Leon’s team, over huge slabs of cake and coffee liberally laced with flavoured sugar syrup and topped with lashings of whipped cream. Cedric and Sophia were both sycophantic and, as far as they were concerned, Arthur couldn’t do or say anything wrong. Indeed, if they continued to boost his ego further, Merlin was genuinely concerned that Arthur would no longer be able to fit through doors as his head would be so big.

And therein lay the main problem with the prosecution team; Arthur Pendragon, the boss.

Merlin had never been able to understand it. Both Leon and Arthur had gone to one of the most prestigious all-boy’s boarding schools in England before going on to study law at the University of Cambridge, both of them graduating with honours and joining the family firm. However, while Leon was perfectly charming and, well, normal, Arthur was the complete opposite. He was good-looking, there was no denying that, but his personality was sadly lacking. The man was a damn good prosecutor – his record testified to that – but Arthur was a bully and Merlin didn’t like him.

Especially as he seemed to have it in for Merlin.

Merlin honestly had no idea why he had become the target of Arthur’s scorn almost the instant that he had joined Cameliard and Pendragon as a law clerk. He certainly couldn’t complain about Merlin’s qualifications; Merlin was studying at King’s College, London, was one of the top students in his year and had personally been recommended by his tutor, Gaius, who had done some consulting for Cameliard and Pendragon in the past. No, Arthur’s main problem just seemed to be with Merlin and his mere existence. From comments about Merlin’s accent to his ears, to generally insulting him about his intelligence, work and whatever he could think of at the time, Arthur lived to make Merlin’s life a misery and, where Arthur went, his minions followed.

In all truthfulness, whilst it had been interesting learning about the prosecution side of chambers and he had no complaints about getting to work with Gwaine and Percival, Merlin couldn’t wait until Leon returned from his paternity leave and he could return to the sanctuary of defence.

(~*~)

Merlin was feeling pretty pleased with himself by the time the first flash of lightning clued him in to the fact that the initial thunderstorm had arrived. He’d managed to focus on his work and resist checking the weather forecast every five minutes. As far as his colleagues were concerned, they still knew nothing about his astraphobia. However, that meant that, when the storm arrived, Merlin was completely unprepared.

They were working in the new extension of Cameliard and Pendragon which was predominantly glass and thus, everything was amplified. At the first clap of thunder, Merlin jerked in his seat and nearly bit through his lip in an attempt to keep his whimper of fear contained. However, with every subsequent clap of thunder and flash of lightning splitting the sky, Merlin couldn’t hide his reaction as the full-body shakes grew until he was all but vibrating in his seat. Finally, he couldn’t take it any longer and, as the loudest crash of thunder yet echoed around the room, Merlin stood and bolted like a frightened rabbit. He sped past numerous members of chambers, ignoring all of them as he made for the basement and the archives and cupboards down there that represented safety.

Not caring how he appeared to his colleagues, Merlin buried himself in the safety of a cupboard and concentrated on his breathing. He completely lost track of time, the spot that he had chosen muting the sounds of the storm to an extent until he was startled by the door being flung open and artificial light filtering into the space.

“Seriously, Merlin? Hiding in the stationary cupboard like a baby?”

Merlin cringed at the scornful tone in Arthur’s voice. This was exactly what he had been hoping to avoid. He desperately wanted to speak up and defend himself, to send back some sarcastic comment as he so often did when it came to Arthur but, this time, his voice failed him. Instead, he heard Gwaine’s voice ring out, even as strong arms wrapped around Merlin; Percival, his mind supplying the identity of the man who was embracing him. It wasn’t the cocoon of his blankets, but it was almost better as Percival was warm, he smelled good and Merlin could hear his heartbeat through the thin shirt.

“Piss off, Arthur. Stop being a prick otherwise I’ll tell everyone that you’re afraid of…”

“Yeah, okay, Gwaine. Just, I don’t know. Just deal with him.”

“Don’t you worry, princess. We’ll happily take the little wizard off your hands.”

Merlin jumped slightly as another loud crack of thunder rang out, slightly muffled due to his location, burrowing further into the protection of Percival’s arms with a whimper. As Percival’s arms tightened around him so that they were almost too tight but just what Merlin needed, he felt warmth at his back, a kiss dropped to his temple and the lilt of Gwaine’s voice in his ear.

“Don’t you worry, Merlin. We’ll look after you. You’re safe with us.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> If you would prefer to comment on DW, you can do so [here](https://vix-spes.dreamwidth.org/294605.html)
> 
> If you'd like to share the post on Tumblr, you can find it [here](http://vix-spes.tumblr.com/post/169955144415/shelter-from-the-storm-vixspes-merlin-tv)


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